The Princes of the Apocalypse (Campaign)
Overview The Princes of the Apocalypse is the second campaign played by the team. The important party members include Ramzey Gauntletsmasher, Namia of the Ashes, Griffon Lamora, Arwen Basket and Corwyn Solarius. Each found their way to the town of Red Larch in the Dessarin Valley on different journeys but together they joined forces to investigate the woes of the locals, including the recent fowl weather. Other major characters include Kalyessa Irkell. No other NPCs have made much of an impact as of yet. Plot Midsummer Celebrations The town of Red Larch is in the throes of celebration when the adventures awake on the day. It is Midsummer, and despite being a day blessed by the Gods themselves, rain falls heavily and the wind howls as it blows through the street. The townsfolk ignore the rains as much as possible and take to the streets to party. Harburk Tuthmarillar, the town constable patrolled the festivities as everyone enjoyed the day, including the foolish half-orc who danced and clapped in a space far from anyone else in the crowd. Ceremonies are held by the pious in the Allfaiths Shrine, including ones officiated by Arwen and Corwyn, and attended by Ramzey, while Griff plays music for all in the Helm and High Sun tavern and Namia dances for the locals. By the evening, all are hungry and tired, and the feast begins in the main room of the Swinging Sword Inn. Kalyessa Irkell has the soon-to-be party seated together and introductions begin. Together the party share stories, commenting on each others accents and appearances, and sizing each other up. Things are jovial until the matron of the establishment joins the table to gossip and chat with her newest patrons. Kalyessa tells them all of the local troubles, including tales of bad weather (an ill omen she about today) and stories of mist persisting in the Sumber Hills and changes in the winds too. "Fell magic" calls it, though she admits that that was an opinion told to her by others. She also tell the party of an expected trade delegation from Mirabar that is expected any day now and troubles at the nearby landmark of Lance Rock to the South-East. She even offers the party 50gp (10gp each) to investigate any trouble from there, binding the party together as one. The following morning, the heroes spread out and check out the town. Griff takes a leisurely bath in Haeleeya Hanadroum's bathhouse and has a disturbing encounter with her over "The Great Old Ones" he speaks of. She was initially interested in his claims until he mentioned Azathoth, at which point she bid him good day and left him to bathe. Corwyn set out to find the his local contacts from the Lords' Alliance, Helvur and Maegla Tarnlar. Together they established their link and Corwyn agreed to report regularly to the married couple. They also corroborated Kalyessa's earlier claims about foul weather in recent months, adding reports of tremors in the ground as well. When asked about Lance Rock, Maelga told Corwyn that their four children played near there recently and were warned off from the area by a Dwarven prospector who claimed a plague haunts the area. Meanwhile, Namia approached the local bakery and begin to ask about gossip, which the baker Mangobarl Lorren was quick to provide. He told her of the local young and inspiring adventurer Pell Mhandyvver had recently returned from a "haunted tomb" but he knew it was in fact a Goblin who scared her away. When told there might be treasure within the mound, Namia asked for directions. On the other side of town, Ramzey found himself in one of the town's quarry's offices, talking with the boss Albaeri Mellikho. When questioned about the happenings in the hills, and that Kalyessa said she would know more about whats going on, she told the Dwarf that her men tell tales of strange hooded and masked figures who stalk them during nights of working. She says they retreat to the hills if approached, adding that she believes the tale to be made up in an attempt to strong-arm her into paying better. Instead she suggests that the Dwarf challenge himself by seeking out the legendary treasure rumored to be housed at Tricklerock Cave After all their inquires around town comes to an end, the party meet up once more and discuss their next move. Together they vote unanimously to investigate the haunted tomb spoken of by the baker. A Haunting on the Side The party venture forth along the Larch Road into the feet of the Sumber Hills and following the directions given to them they soon reach the mound tomb. They are careful at first approach but once they find the opening to the inner tomb they let down their guard and miss the camp of the nearby Goblin and his Half-Ogre friend. Attempting to enter the tomb, Corwyn pushed the stone door out of the way and in the process triggered the Goblin's alarm. Venturing inside they found themselves in a small burial chamber. Searching about they found nothing of note besides a metallic door rusted shut. Ramzey placed his ear to the door in hopes of hearing any sound within and is horrified when a Spectre of a fully armoured warrior materialized from the wall and passed through him and Corwyn. Raising a spectral sword towards them he demands they leave his masters tomb immediately! Any attempt to speak to the ghost only caused him to demand harder! Refusing to listen to him, a fight broke out and after a slog on everyone's part, the spectre was defeated but it took it's toll on the party. Even worse was Griff's attempts to subdue the defender with his Eldritch Blast ''cantrip which only hurt his allies, once blowing stone shards into Namia and directly hitting Corwyn with a blast. After defending the ghostly defender, the group ventured deeper into tomb, after wresting the rusted iron door out of it's frame. Inside the smaller room they found the true tomb and Griff was quick to set upon the chest within. Using ''Mage Hand ''he opened the chest from a distance and pulled out the remains of spoiled books. In his attempt to discern the original contents of the books, he noticed the false bottom of the chest. Inside the bottom compartment he found a gold chained locket with a half-elf's portrait etched on the inside, as well as 2 braided rings: one silver and electrum. After being chided by the group for his earlier hindered, he turned over the rings to Ramzey as an apology. Next, the boys all move on the stone coffin, while the girls stand back and berate them for grave robbing. Corwyn attempts to lift the coffins lid but a slip causes him to injure his back. A second attempt by Ramzey and Griff is successful and looking inside they see nothing more than a skeleton and a sword. When they attempt to take the only worthwhile of the contents, it springs to life, revealing itself to be a Flying Sword. Battle ensues again and the party find it hard to pin down the animated weapon. Corwyn, taking a chance, smashes the skeleton into dust, but to no avail. Arwen casts ''Bless ''to aid in landing blows and eventually the party beat it into the ground. By now they are all tired and ready to go, Namia going as far as to curse the baker who told them of Goblins in the area. Leaving in a group, the party come face to face with the Goblin and Half-Ogre who were waiting to rob anyone who emerged. They demand any loot be turned over to them, point to the rings on display on Ramzey's hands. Nobody by Ramzey is keen for a fight but another one does indeed break out. Ramzey uses his shield again to protect Corwyn as they both attack the Half-Ogre, eventually felling him with the aid of Griff's magic. Meanwhile Mania attempted to take down the Goblin ho had fallen back to attack from afar, only to cut herself on the arrow head readied in his bow. The long gash to her arm triggered enough blood loss for her to fall to her knees unconscious. Arwen saw to her, casting ''Spare the Dying ''in order to keep her from bleeding out, but at the cost of letting the Goblin escape. Having narrowly survived their third run in of the day, the party stands by waiting for their next move. A Town Inspected After using the last of Corwyn's ''Lay on Hands ''to revive Namia, the party set out heading back to town. The arrive late in town, splitting up to seek out places to stay for the night. However Griff and Ramzey stayed up late to drink at the Helm at High Sun. There Griff took it upon himself to strike up a conversation with a local Halfling carpenter by the name of Stannor Thistlehair. The Halfling said he had information for sale but Griff was uninterested at this time. In the end they all settled in for the night a met up the next day. It was then that Basket told the rest of the party that she would be remaining in town for the foreseeable future, having been rattled by the looting of the tomb the day before. They dismissed her and all set about town to take care of business. Corwyn sought out a hired healer from the Allfaiths shine, where he was guided by the lead priests currently in residence to an Acolyte in training, a devotee of Sune, who agreed to help them investigate Lance Rock. Her name was Sasa Visgard. Meanwhile, Griff visited with Endrith Vallivoe at the local shop, Vallivoe's Sundries, where he sold his looted locket for 50gp to the spritely and cheerful owner. While they chatted, Vallivoe warned Griff to avoid the barrows in the area as they are remnants of the Uthgardt Barbarians who still roam the area. At the same time, Ramzey sought out more leads on the bad weather as of late, following Kalyessa Irkell's suggestion of talking to the local tanner Ulhro Luruth. Not only was Ulhro uncooperative and unhelpful, he was a dullard. The only thing that was helpful was Ramzey's overhearing of his attempt to send a warning message to "Dornen". They found Dornen's quarry in the South of town quickly after meeting up. They forcefully questioned him about his involvement in the bad weather but he waved them off, claiming the accusations of earthquakes are due to his quarrying and are false. He also supported his opposing quarry owner Mellikho's account of the workers spreading rumours of stalking figures in hopes of more pay. In the end, the party decided it best to stake out the quarry themselves come nightfall... but first, they would investigate Lance Rock! The Lord of Lance Rock The group set out for Lance Rock and it only took a short trip to get there, Once they arrived and saw that the stone menhir was clearly a different stone than the surrounding rock, being granite where the rest was limestone. They also found a pair of posted signs, both demanding anyone who reads them to leave the place lest they catch the plague that afflicts the 'Lord of Lance Rock'. Of course the paid it no mind and as a party they ventured forth in search of the self proclaimed Lord and the cause of the bad weather of late. The party soon found inhabitants in the form of walking undead, both Zombies and Skeletons. Making use of Corwyn's ''Divine Sense and Sasa's Light ''cantrip, they headed deeper inside, killing all the undead they found on the way. On the way they found various corpses and bloodstained rocks, creating a sense of dread as they came close to the main chamber. Things got even stranger when they came across dressed zombies, made up to look like players in a macabre play including a princess, prince and a jester. They killed them, obviously, but the fight took a toll. The noise of the fight with the dressed zombies drew the attention of those in the next room. By the time the party arrived, a bevy of skeletons where already in position to defend their master while a hooded figure between them sat at one of three slabs, stitching together body parts. At the top on a distant stairway, a well dressed nobleman, complete with black mustache and goatee, addressed the adventuring intruders. He declared himself to be Orieoth, the Lord of Lance Rock! He talked big and tried to press them into to surrendering and leaving but as soon as they advanced on him, he ran further into the cavern yelling for his undead to protect him. Now drawn into a bitter fight, the heroes fought hard against the skeletons and the hooded figure who turned out to be a zombie. Even Sasa joined in on the fighting, casting ''Sacred Flame repeatedly since the cave was already well lit. Things took a turn for the worse however when from among the various body parts, a number of Crawling Claws emerged and attacked. Corwyn went down, followed closely by Namia, while Ramzey sought high ground on the slab. Sadly he too went down and a skeleton's arrow felled Sasa. By now, most of the adventurers had already died and so Griff, the last man standing, made a break for the exit. He almost made it... but he didn't. The whole party was dead. Resurrection and Resignation And then, they were alive. In time, each of the fallen heroes were revived, turned undead by the hands of the Lord of Lance Rock's power. Over the next ten days, the party each came back to life at Orieth's hands and once reunited they learned of their new shared undead fate, as well as the source of their new master's power. Deep in the cave there sits an all-seeing eye bathed in purple haze, sitting atop a plinth of severed arms. The party learned more of Orieth's paranoia upon questioning him about the living eye, getting only a "it sees everything! It's always watching!" every time. By the time everyone was revived, Orieth himself was near death from exhaustion and having borrowed power from the Eye to bring them all back, he collapsed in his bed but not before sending them on their way to seek out and undo the Eye's true form. The party set out, but not knowing where to start they were stalled by depression at their new circumstances, and at being walking rotting corpses. With nowhere else to go, Sasa agrees to continue to adventure with the party until she can find a cure for her condition. Together, they returned to Red Larch in search of leads but quickly defer their quest until they can learn more about the area and who may be able to help. Instead, they turn their collective attentions to finding a library where they could research the Eye. Asking around the small trader town, they are pointed in the directions of Triboar to the north and Yartar to the East from there. The journey is too far to contemplate right now and so the party find themselves at a loss once more. Still in town, the group stumble upon a market taking place on the side of town and so they check it out in hopes of a nice find. All that was on offer was local food and crafts, but among the crowd they saw a familiar face, that of the Half-Orc from the Midsummer festival. He was smiling along and putting up a happy face while other stall owners and passersby blatantly stole from his tank of picked eggs. Taking pity on him, Namia engaged him in conversation while Griff gave him 1gp for an egg which was prices at only 1cp. Grund, as he called himself, scooped up 3 whole eggs in one hand and gave them to Griff with a cheer. Upon questioning, Grund had nothing to offer them other than his excellent impression of Dornen who often proclaimed to Grund that he was 'R-e-tarded'. After sharing a laugh at the Half-Orc's expense, the party decided to follow up on other rumors and seek out the treasure at nearby Tricklerock Cave. In Search of Treasure Together the party ventured forth and aimed for the hills outside of Red Larch. Along the way they were accosted by unusual creatures, a trio of Dust Mephits who where hiding in the rocks and rubble of the hills. It took some effort but they overcame the monsters and made it to Trickerock Cave. The entrance to the cave posed a challenge for the party as it was only about a foot wide. Squeezing through the crevasse for about 20 feet until they emerge in the central cavern. It didn't take long to realize that there is no treasure hidden here, but there was a nest of Stirges who attacked on sight. It was difficult for the team to fight in close quarters but they managed. Annoyed and angry at their bad luck the last number of days, the party headed back to Red Larch. Back in town, Namia collected the payment for investigating Lance Rock from Kalyessa who was surprised to see them return. She had assumed they had left town for good, or worse, perished by now. She was happy to hear there was nothing of note at Lance Rock to fear, but concerned for both the unresolved source of the poor weather and the other missing people. Namia pressed her to elaborate and Kalyessa revealed that the Mirabar trade delegation hasn't come through town yet and are over a tensday late. This was news to the party. Across the street at the Helm at High Sun, Griff met with his new drinking buddy Stannor and this time he decided to take him up on his offer of information. It was a doozy. Stannor told Griff that he has seen his boss over at the one of the wagon works along with robed figures gathering together at night by a hidden tunnel. Griff paid him with 10gp and a mug of beer before retiring for the night. The next morning the team would reconvene, what they would do with their new information tidbits is yet to be known. A Convert and a Cavern Convene they did, and the whole party were made aware of the new information. Together they decided the best course of action was to wait until nightfall to investigate, while trying to blend in among the townsfolk and trying to learn more about the missing Mirabar delegation. To do that, the party split up to question various leads, while Sasa trudged off forlorn at her undeath. Both their searches turned up the fact that the delegation definitely made it to the town of Beliard to the North-East. Later in the day, a messenger from the Allfaiths shrine appeared with a letter for Corwyn. After paying the young lad off, he returned with the note which had come from his father Corvus, asking for an initial situation report. Corwyn took some time in inspecting the letter, but his reply would have to wait when from all corners of the crossroads the party saw an unexpected sight... Sasa running through town without a moments pause. They were quick to follow her to the local weapons shop, Feng's, where she threw her entire coin purse on the counter while pointing to the items displayed. The young girl spoke quickly, barely stopping for breath, telling everyone she had an epiphany sent to her by Kelemvor, the god of Death. He had told her to follow him, to seek out the cause of their undeath and he will enable her to be cured! She had converted to become an Acolyte of Death. Not knowing if her revelation was truth or madness, the party took Sasa at her word and carried on, as the sun was hanging low and the time for their stake out was nearing. The gang all took cover in the yard adjacent to the basement door Stannor told of, and together they waited for somebody to appear. Only a short while passed and it happened. The red robed figures showed themselves, and together they all went down into the cellar lead by a man dressed very like a monk of some kind. Suspicious. The party waited before following them down. Within, the found remains of Dwarven crafted passageways beneath the town of Red Larch. They also found the corpses of two dead people in one of the side rooms. After fighting off a group of giant rats, they managed to find symbols cut into the skulls' foreheads, cutting into the flesh that was once there when they were marked. The party had no choice but to venture on, now that things have turned sinister. Deeper in the cavern, they came to a wider room, and within a makeshift shrine. In the centre of the room stood a petrified Ironstar Dwarf, an inscription revealing it was pulled out of one of the town quarries in -3 G.C. Before taking a break to bolster up for the next room, which they believe to hold the red robed folks, the heroes helped themselves to the coinage around the shrine, and Corwyn grabbed himself an ornate knife. To Be Continued Loot, Treasure and Spoils No items of note have yet been discovered as of yet. Key Outcomes This campaign is still wrapping up, outcomes are pending.